Waking Up In The Mood
by stay-stark
Summary: The difference between Steve's twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth birthday, the relationship that sparked and formed during that year, and a look at how great life can be. Steve/Tony, one-shot.


It was the Fourth of July and the topmost floor of Avengers tower was brimming with giddy joy. Not really because it was the Fourth of July, that was merely a coincidence, but because it was Steve Rogers' birthday.

He was turning twenty-six and it was his second ever birthday in the new century. His first ever birthday had been a bit of a flop, but not this one.

Looking around, Steve couldn't help but compare his twenty-fifth to this twenty-sixth.

His twenty-fifth was _huge_, for lack of a bigger adjective. Not just in place but in all of its red-white-and-blue decadence. There had been so many people and his face had been everywhere, even on the eight-tiered cake. Everyone had been nice enough, especially when they realized that he was Captain America, but Steve had only recognized six people in total. He'd been bashful and uncertain and hid behind a false smile the whole way through.

This one, though smaller, was much better. It was intimate, and real. It was no show or sort of performance—it was just Steve and his friends.

The whole gang was in attendance, even Thor! Bruce had flown in from Brazil the previous night, Natasha and Clint sat side-by-side a few spaces from his left, Director Fury was there in something other than black, and Agent Hill was there as well. Pepper and Happy and Rhodey were all smiles, and the most important man in his life sat to his right.

Tony had been the engineer of both parties, though he'd obviously had a different thought process for each. But he'd planned everything: the guest list, decorations, food, cake. He even made a birthday wish list for the guests to follow up on.

After the first party had finished (at an outrageous five in the morning) and the two were back at the Tower (on Steve's respective floor), the two were able to talk. Tony was all after party glowing and continued to ramble to Steve, even after Steve had taken a seat on a small set of stairs and was clearly exhausted. Tony continued down the main floor, or the "common area" as he liked to refer to it, and paced around excitedly.

"Did you enjoy the fireworks?" Tony prattled off, loosening his red tie. "I did. I love fireworks—" He then caught sight of Steve's crestfallen demeanor and he tried to handle it as he always did. "I suppose the red, white, and blue motif was overdone, and the life size cutouts were a bit much, but I still liked it."

Steve met Tony's gaze, and Tony saw how tired he was. It was more than just the bags under his dull eyes, the droop of his broad shoulders, the tiny beads of sweat on his face, neck, hair. Steve looked genuinely tired, and pained.

Again, Tony tried to ignore the tension and diffuse the situation. "Sorry about not getting you a gift. I wasn't really sure what to get you." That was a lie. "Figured we could go looking for something tomorrow."

Steve seemed to be inspecting a patch of carpet and Tony couldn't handle it. Whining, he said, "Come on Cap! Don't look so blue." He had thought himself rather clever for that pun, smiling to himself as he watched the flushed man before him.

So Steve lifted his gaze and gave a strained, thin smile. Tony knew that kind of smile and his insides quivered uncomfortably.

"Well—um, I'll see you tomorrow then."

He'd moved towards the elevator in escape when Steve called out his name.

They stared at one another for a good moment.

"I know exactly what I want," Steve finally said, lifting himself a bit higher. "Would you not call me Cap so much? Or Captain? Or Capsicle?" He continued to list name after name after name, some Tony had called him and some that others would call out, slowly breaking down. And at the end of it, with tears shining in his baby blues, he said, "Would you please just call me Steve? That's who I am, Tony. Just Steve. I was Steve first and I'm-I'm Steve now, right now."

At that point, his face was contorted in a way Tony had never seen on the man, and Steve began to cry. He'd turned away from Tony, cheeks reddened by embarrassment, but unable to control all the sadness and hate that caught in his tightened throat.

Tony observed for a brief moment, examining the scene from a detached perspective. Then, with no more hesitation, Tony approached the man and took a seat beside him. They weren't quite touching but it was a closeness that implied a certain level of intimacy and security.

Steve cried for a few minutes, refusing to speak or look in Tony's direction, but then he made the words come out—because this was Tony, one of the only vague friends Steve had and one of the few people he knew. Steve hurt too much to keep everything in.

"I'm twenty-five," he began, chest heaving, "and it's supposed to be 1946. 1946, Tony, not 2012. Nineteen-forty-six." He wiped at his face.

"It's just…"—he stopped a second to inhale—"Everyone here knows me as Captain America, because that's all I am to these people, a man who wears a suit and saves them. It's like I'm not real. But I am, Tony. I _am _real. I want to be recognized for who I am, not what.

"I may have been a symbol during the war, but there were people who knew _me_. I can't turn back time, I know that, but I want to be here too."

As his spiel died down, so did some of the pain in his chest. Yet, he still felt like crying, and laughing and hitting another punching bag.

He cradled himself and began to pray.

Tony listened the whole time, feeling unsure and ashamed of himself. He had never meant to make Steve feel that way. The fact that Steve had even told him, a supposed friend, confirmed that he was mindlessly acting cruel to a man who deserved more than an alias.

"1946," Steve said again, facing Tony. He was smiling, and crying. "Can you believe that?" he asked with a suffocating chuckle. "1946."

Determined, Tony reached around and held Steve in a one armed hug, which was actually quite difficult, as Mr. Stark was not an incredibly long or brawny man, not like Steve. Add the fact that Tony's displays of physical affection (outside of sex) were unmastered due to lack of experience, and the comfort should have been considered inadequate.

But Steve didn't balk away and Tony held on.

Needless to say, the two became much closer in the three hundred and sixty four days in between then and now. They were a strange pair that complemented each other, and their friendship evolved.

They had both realized at different points how deeply their affections ran, but Steve had been the one to make those affections and his intentions clear.

The two had been out Christmas shopping about a week and a half before the actual holiday, and every store in New York was decorated, as well as all of New York. They'd ended up standing under a mistletoe and it was Steve who had leaned down and kissed Tony. He was smiling when he pulled back, feeling accomplished and happy, and they continued to shop, Tony looking pleased the rest of the trip.

Their relationship was never one they discussed. Things just slowly advanced. They stole kisses and cuddled and their secrets ran deeper and darker. It was just a natural progression that they never talked about.

Bruce was the first to know. Again, it wasn't because Tony and Steve were incredibly secretive—they just never talked about it.

The couple had been in the middle of a PG-13 moment that was quickly escalating to R when Bruce came in from the elevator. Steve had nearly tripped as he backed away from Tony, shocked at the sudden appearance of the man. He felt positively scandalized at being caught in that situation, and in the kitchen of all places! Tony, however, was all smiles and greetings, because he obviously hadn't known that Bruce was coming home either, and sincerely felt no shame for his actions. Bruce had acted calmly enough, though he was surprised, but he also approved. He just didn't understand the appeal of doing it in the kitchen.

It didn't take long for the rest of their friends to see small snippets and connect the dots. And it became glaringly obvious at Clint's and Natasha's wedding, when the two not only acted as Clint's groomsmen but as each other's date. They spent the wedding talking excitedly about how much they loved weddings, and how they'd never seen Natasha smile so much, and how nice Clint looked when he was trying to be formal. They danced the entire night, making sure to share the last few with each other.

It was not too long after that the two moved in together, decorating a whole new floor in the process.

Fast forward to current day and they were still there. They were a happy couple, and the duo knew it.

As the small bash continued, it got even better—which was really saying something since this party was a surprise that elated Steve to an almost exponential degree.

It had a picnic/back patio feel, with the one long table placed in the common area and the buffet-style set up in the corner kitchen that followed along the island and bar. The food consisted of hamburgers and hot dogs with assorted condiments, chips, and various cupcakes, all served on decorative paper plates and napkins, and Cokes and beers were the only drinks immediately available. There were cheesy decorations and party hats, Clint being the only one who wore his the entire time.

By ten thirty, half of the guests were tipsy (which was okay since Tony had already planned for all of them to sleep on their respective floors), most of the food was gone, and a fair share of stories were being spouted from every mouth at the table.

It was a little after eleven when Tony apologetically left to answer a phone call and came back with a cake. He'd come up strategically behind Steve and began the first verse of "Happy Birthday," causing Steve to jump in surprise and everyone to quickly add in their voice. Tony placed the cake in front of Steve and sang with the gang. Steve's cheeks ached at his inability to stop smiling and he began to flush at the attention, not that it was easily seen from the orange glow the twenty-six candles sent across his face.

"Make a wish," Tony murmured in Steve's ear at the end of the last line, giving him a swift kiss on the temple before standing up straight beside the seated man.

But Steve couldn't make a wish. There was nothing he could wish for, because he had everything he wanted. So, he blew out the flames in one mighty huff and smiled as everyone clapped and cheered. Steve made the first cut, revealing the cake to be chocolate (his favorite) and Tony took over distribution.

Presents came next.

Pepper and Happy presented him with clothes, some polos and some button-downs with specially tailored slacks and jeans. Rhodey handed over a neatly crafted watch and Thor presented him with a fine mead from Asgard, promising its great taste. Nick gave him some assorted records that he immediately recognized and Bruce followed up with newer records that he thought Steve might enjoy. Maria had to leave the room to retrieve what she had brought for him, which was the biggest handmade birthday card Steve had ever seen. It stood taller than Maria and was covered with signatures from SHIELD agents giving him their best wishes. She also gave him a leather jacket, which fit him perfectly. Clint and Natasha were last, giving him a box of DVDs, some were documentaries and others were titles he recognized from his time, as well as some of his favorite Disney films, a secret shared between him and Natasha.

They were some of the best gifts he'd ever received and he thanked everyone in turn.

It was closer to midnight when the group made their way onto the curved balcony for fireworks, and by one everyone was well spent. They all gathered back in the house and picked away at the leftovers, Tony bustling about and cleaning with Natasha's and Happy's help.

As two came around, the guests slowly started to trickle out. Nick and Maria gave their farewells first, followed by Bruce, who wordlessly helped Rhodey to his room as he was too intoxicated to work the elevator. Thor was next, and then Clint and Natasha. Happy and Pepper were the last to leave, and then it was just Tony and Steve.

"That was a great party!" Steve exclaimed merrily as Tony lead him to their bedroom. "Everything was just amazing and-and _perfect_! It was perfect, Tony."

"I'm glad you liked it," Tony replied with an appeasing smile as he set Steve on the edge of their large bed. He kneeled before Steve's open legs and began to gingerly remove his lover's shoes, listening as Steve continued to speak.

"I'm being serious though! _Everything _today has just been perfect. There's no other word for it." He paused to contain his gushing, and stopped completely to smile at the man before him. "Thank you, Tony."

Tony smiled in return and gladly returned Steve's kiss.

"Hmmm," Tony hummed to himself, pleased. He opened his dark eyes and Steve saw the sudden spark that appeared. "I have another surprise for you."

Steve gasped and hurriedly asked, "Does it go with the Glenn Miller records you got me?" That's what Tony woke him up to that morning, it had been the first gift of the day.

"Close your eyes," Tony instructed.

Steve immediately obliged, grinning madly into the heels of his hands.

There was some rustling but Tony never moved from his position, which made Steve think that whatever it was, it was small. Tony had probably been carrying it on him, Steve concluded.

"Annnnd…open them."

It took Steve a heartbeat to deter his light eyes from Tony's face to the gift in his hand. Another heartbeat to focus on the closed velvet box, and three seconds to realize the mere implications of the object.

He hadn't realized that his smile was gone until he felt himself gaping. His teeth clinked as he forced his mouth shut, keeping silent and calm and patient.

As though teasing Steve was completely necessary (and in some cases, it was) Tony didn't say anything, only moved to open the box.

Nestled neatly inside was a wedding band.

It was gold and shiny, and had three stones embedded along its curve. In the back of his racing mind, Steve was glad they weren't red, white, and blue—just the standard, beautiful diamonds that not many could afford, let alone wish to own.

"So," Tony said at last, meeting Steve's gaze, "wanna get married?"

"Yes," Steve blurted, feeling coming to his warm face.

"Are you sure?" Tony continued. "Because if you say yes and you put this on—that's it, you're mine; I'll never let you go."

Steve beamed at that, unbidden tears blurring his vision.

"Yes," he said again.

A moment later, the very special ring was on a very special finger, and the two kissed.

"One more thing: birthday sex now or later?"

"Now please."

* * *

**The title is inspired by what is arguably Glenn Miller's greatest track, 'In The Mood.' It's supposed to be clever. Thank you for reading and I'd appreciate a review! :) **


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